Sun TV Network Q1 profit rises 16 per cent as revenue climbs 13 per cent

MUMBAI: The numbers are shining bright for Sun TV Network. The broadcaster reported a 13 per cent year-on-year rise in revenue to Rs 1,423.39 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, while profit after tax climbed 16 per cent to Rs 611.97 crore.

The company’s performance also gathered momentum at the operating level, with EBITDA rising 19 per cent to Rs 732.99 crore from Rs 617.23 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. The EBITDA margin consequently stood at around 51.5 per cent, compared with roughly 49.1 per cent a year earlier.

Sun TV’s topline growth was supported by its subscription business, although advertising remained a softer spot. Domestic subscription revenue increased 3 per cent to Rs 485.46 crore from Rs 470.12 crore in Q1 FY26. Advertising revenue, meanwhile, stood at Rs 282.51 crore, down from Rs 289.94 crore a year earlier.

The company’s wider portfolio continues to stretch well beyond television. Sun TV operates channels across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bangla, Marathi and Hindi, alongside FM radio stations, film production, the SunNXT OTT platform and three cricket franchises — SunRisers Hyderabad, SunRisers Eastern Cape and SunRisers Leeds.

Cricket made a sizeable contribution to the quarter. Income from the group’s cricket franchises stood at Rs 629.83 crore, compared with Rs 473.03 crore in Q1 FY26. On the standalone side, the corresponding franchise-related costs were Rs 321.17 crore, against Rs 256.09 crore a year earlier.

On a standalone basis, revenue from operations rose to Rs 1,423.39 crore from Rs 1,256.79 crore, while total income reached Rs 1,590.23 crore. Profit before tax came in at Rs 808.12 crore and profit after tax at Rs 611.97 crore, up from Rs 528.66 crore in the year-ago quarter.

The quarter also marked a sharp sequential recovery. Compared with Q4 FY26, revenue jumped 68 per cent from Rs 848.48 crore, EBITDA surged 93 per cent from Rs 379.51 crore and profit after tax leapt 180 per cent from Rs 218.64 crore. Advertising revenue rose around 2 per cent sequentially to Rs 282.51 crore, while domestic subscription revenue increased 3 per cent from Rs 472.47 crore.

At the consolidated level, revenue from operations stood at Rs 1,457.88 crore, up from Rs 1,290.28 crore in Q1 FY26. Consolidated profit after tax rose to Rs 619.07 crore from Rs 529.21 crore, while profit attributable to owners of the company was Rs 618.82 crore.

The consolidated results include Sun TV Network, Kai Radio Limited and SunRisers Leeds Limited as subsidiaries, along with South Asia FM Limited as a joint venture. The joint venture contributed Rs 2.94 crore as the group’s share of net profit during the quarter.

With the quarter’s stronger earnings, Sun TV’s board also declared its first interim dividend for FY27 — Rs 5 per equity share of face value Rs 5, effectively a 100 per cent dividend. The decision was taken at the board meeting on August 12.

The results were reviewed by S.R. Batliboi & Associates LLP, which said it had not come across anything indicating a material misstatement in the standalone or consolidated financial results.